Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-04-07
LEFT | \ H PIT.

Il was past moon when | started for
/ The home OF my bethrothed. But my
i horss was good and | rode hard.
night be at Teyesy by nightfall.
4 There was a sprinkle OF snow on the
Ground, and a feathery shower fell
4 lightly around me, of which l thought
nothing til sunset. The short, dark
4 day was over at 8 o'clock, and at
\ that hour ashalp wind sprang up and
5 TIE n began falling thickly. / felt
somewhat blinded by the big flakes,
/ ever flying downward and onward and
around me, like a cold, patient army,
whose onslaught could never be stay
I'd or driven back.
Still | pushed on, though the beast
rode shook and trembled and strove,
IN his dumb way, TO reason against
my headstrong will. And now, with
! some dismay, suddenly perceived by
kshe sinking of my horse even TO his
tanks in heapea snow, that, bewil-
sered by the ~whiteness, he and / had
lost the road. It was but a rough
/ one at the best. for | was in a wild
country, where mines were many and
Emen few. Fxtricating my poor steed
!rom the drifted snow wherein he
fioundered, | rested him a moment
and shouted for help. Again and
again my cry came back to me. fol-
aowing on the wings OF the cold wind,
but nc other sound broke the deathly
stiffness OF the night.
Oh. for the saving light in some
charitable window. But there was
snone-only snow and darkness. dark
ness ard snow all around. thought
NJ terrible, and vet in a little span of
Etime from this | would have deemed
Il paradise to be lying lonely in the
heaped snow UPON this drear moor.
/ put my horse to a sharp cauter,
and he wen about a furlong blindly,
[fhen stood still, snorting with terror.
ssrove to urge him on, but herefusad
10 obey either whip or spur. Seeing
no reason for my horses fright or
<tubbornness, | spurred him sharply,
4ead urged him with angry voice to
obediehee. His wonderful obstinacy
compeIled me at length to dismount.
and. wssh drawn sword III my hand,
prepared Cor higlrwayman or footpad.
dragged him Onward by the bride.
Upon this he made one hasty plunge
Forward, then stopped, and at the
Same instant the earth went from be-
heath my feet and l fell-feil 1 knew
mo- whisher, down. down into the
deep darkness Objectionable. terrible
rs the great put. | can scarcely say
whether thought as | fell, yet knew
MAS eoin. to dtath-knew ! was de-
srsi,ding one OF those unused shafts
hat lie OF many a Cornish moor
Rnew that my bones would be un-
thought otinits dismal depths forever.
But even at that instant my flight
Sas arrested. ard ] hung in mid air,
Eiinging by my hands, to what | knew
= bot. Il was my sword. which / had
forgotten that HELD. By a miracle it
bad thrust itself. as ! fell beneath the
kSFth and the rocks, in the side of the
kisaft. and, iammed fast it held me up.
1eannot explain how this occurred.
only know that If was so. As the
sy Tor mercy escaped my lips the mer-
n came. My sword caught in the in
~erstiees OF the rock and | was held up.
by feet dangling over the abyss, and
by hands ellnging to the hilt of my
ecod blade. 1t wasa as firm as a wedge;
could feel that in spite of my trem-
bling. yet my position was horrible.
0 remain thus, TO hold on, was tor
lure unutterable. but to yield, even for
moment, was death. There was no
bepe for relief ever for hours; there
vas no possibility OF relief of posture;
here WAS Aothirg but strong endur-
snce and courage to carry methrough.
waited, suffered, l prayed.
Il was a night to me of fire. The
kinfs blew and the snow fell, but the
|oid touched me not. HAD fallen too
Eeeply in the shaft for that, even if
ply tortured blood could have felt it.
Morning broke at last, and hope
rev with Il. At intervals had call
aloud through the night, and now
nth scarcely an intermission, | raised
y voice in cries for help. / did this
u WEAKNESS stopped me, and rest
m agonized hope of voice in reply.
here vas none. No sound reached
ne- a in my grave alone. call.
again, again. again. | husbanded
ly voice. | drew IN my breath and
houted with the strength of despair.
here was no answer.
The Il travelled upward, and j
pew it was high noon, though to me
pc stars were visible likewise; yet the
eidday rays shpne somewhat into
he shalt and showed me how | hung.
De pit was quite perpendicular; it
poped slightly from my feet upward,
"a had found rest for one foot on
he ledge OF the rock. O, the ease OF
y anguish from this mercifni rest
ears sprang to roy eyes as thanked
foa tor it.
The sun had shown me thatto climb
az OF the pit unaided was impossible,
called for help again, and called
}nth my voice failed me. ] ceased to
}, and night fell on me again.
as tbs hours crstpt on kind of mad
ss seized me; phantoms sprang up
om the pit and tempted me to plunge
Fiowi horrible eyes glared On me. But
orse OF all was the sound OF water
pnriing rlil flowing gently in my very
Hrs, trlcklingdro by drop in sweetest
fuslc. horribly distant. Water! To
Fach water would willingly die; but
knew 1t was madness, so resisted
e iiery thirst that would have me
<iease my hold and perish. Water
e, there was water at the bot
pm OF the shaft, fathoms deep below
y ieet, but Ieould only reach that to
a there was the water on the
hf earth, fathoms above me-water
s,''o1tu never see again.
1 grew dlzzy-siCk-blird. / should
hve iainted-haYe fallen-died; but
! leaned my heitd against a rock, j
Y as though a ceid. refreshing hand
ere lad upon it suddenly.
" was water IL was no madness
was water. A tiny stream trickling
prougll the bare wall ofrock, likedew
[om heaven. held forthmy parched
s,,ague and caught the drops as they
y as drank my strength was
knrwed, and hope and the desire for
grew warm within me again. And
soSthss the second night OF my m
~asoanient 1eare,i not so passionate
Hooked not SO eagerly for succor.
Rmbs were numbed. my brain
Eaaened; life was ebbing toward
katn; a shadow at times fell over my
rs and II ! held still to the hilt OF
sword. if my feet sought still the
ags inst rested them, they did it
fshanically from habit and not from
ltnsnk sometimes 1 was not in my
.ght min. mns nnnnn nroon feLis